Fire Island
Shortly after the Lighthouse Board was formed in 1852, it set about upgrading the nation’s navigational aids. The Fire Island Lighthouse was considered inadequate, and in 1857 Congress approved $40,000 to build a replacement. Lieutenants J.C. Duane and J. St. C. Morton were put in charge of the project along with the construction of the new Shinnecock Lighthouse also on Long Island. Built about 200 yards northeast of the first one, the second Fire Island Lighthouse stands 168 feet tall, more than double the height of its predecessor. The stone from the original lighthouse was used to construct the terrace on which the new lighthouse was built. The base of the second tower slopes outwards for increased stability, and inside, a 192-step, spiral staircase leads to the watch room. The ascent is interrupted every 26 steps with a landing from which an arched window affords a view of the surroundings. The new tower commenced operation on November 1, 1858, showing a white light focused into eight revolving beams by a first-order Fresnel lens.

The handmade bricks of the tower were covered in a protective cement coating that was given “an agreeable cream yellow colour.” It wasn’t until 1891 that the lighthouse received is present distinctive black and white stripes. At the base of the tower, an impressive residence was constructed for the head keeper and his two assistants.

The Annual Report of the Lighthouse Board for 1894 called Fire Island Lighthouse “the most important light for transatlantic steamers bound for New York. It is generally the first one they make and from which they lay their course.” Due to this importance, the board decided to purchase a giant bivalve lens with a 9-foot diameter that the French had displayed at the 1893 World Columbian Exhibition in Chicago for use at Fire Island. The lens was fitted with an electric arc light, so in 1896 a coal-fired steam power plant was built next to the lighthouse. A tramline was also built between the tower and a dock, intended to bring coal shipments to the station. After all this preparatory work, the installation of the lens was cancelled after a lightship was deployed off Fire Island. The bivalve lens was eventually installed at Navesink, New Jersey, where it can still be seen today.